Chapter 397 - 287: Hanging the Heads (Part 2)

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Terrifying explosions, even more violent tremors, the acrid, pervasive stench of gunpowder, the blinding light from detonating explosives...

But what terrified the people inside the general headquarters most were the horrified screams of soldiers mixed in with the gunfire and cannonades.

They could clearly see that with each terrifying blast, human bodies were flung into the sky like stones by some monstrous force. Some of these soldiers even came crashing down inside the courtyard.

THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD!

The sound of heavy objects hitting the ground rang out again and again. The sight of corpses falling from the sky sent waves of panic through the crowd, but at this moment, there was nowhere for them to run.

However, the chilling sounds of gunfire and screams didn’t last long. The crowd soon saw panicked soldiers retreating from the main gate into the courtyard. Even though they clutched rifles and cannons, they couldn’t help but part to form a path, not daring to make a move.

TAP! TAP! TAP!

Amid the chaos, the sound of footsteps was shockingly clear. A figure walked through the path cleared by the terrified, retreating soldiers and appeared before everyone, causing them all to hold their breath.

An extremely young face, a tall and sturdy frame, an expression as placid as still water. Even his clothes seemed identical to when he had stormed the grand auditorium.

The only difference, and what struck terror into their hearts, was that he now held three large, severed heads in his hand.

Lin Quelan... Jiang Feiyu... Yan Fu...

The top three most important figures of the Pseudo-Government were now held in Zhao Xuanqi’s grasp.

At this moment, the elderly white man who had just been so calm was now pale as a sheet, his lips twitching and his body trembling, unable to utter a single word.

Zhao Xuanqi’s gaze swept over them, but he made no move to eliminate these people.

Though these individuals could leverage certain societal resources, they were not key figures who could decide the course of events. Killing them all would likely only cause greater chaos, which would in turn aid the Bloodline Species.

He was not a bloodthirsty man. There were too many people in the Divine Land; even if he reached the realm of a Divine General, he could never kill them all.

’As a Reincarnator, my duty is to restore the original order of this world to obtain Merit, not to incite even greater chaos.’

He slowly retracted his gaze and walked forward.

SHUFFLE!

The crowd immediately scrambled to clear a path in terror, not even daring to breathe loudly. They watched as Zhao Xuanqi walked slowly past them to the center of the courtyard. He approached the seven flagpoles with their fluttering banners, reached out, and grasped the centermost pole, the one bearing the flag of the Pseudo-Government, and applied a bit of force.

The steel flagpole snapped instantly, becoming like a long spear in Zhao Xuanqi’s hand.

With a light toss of his left hand, he threw the three heads he had been carrying by the hair up into the sky.

Then, with a slight shake of the arm holding the pole, the long flagpole shot out like a cannonball. It precisely pierced through the tangled, flying hair of the three heads, carrying them with it, and pinned them viciously to the highest point of the general headquarters’ office building.

The heads swayed, a truly horrifying sight.

"Lin Quelan, Jiang Feiyu, and Yan Fu betrayed their country and colluded with the enemy. Their crimes are irredeemable even in death. Today, I, Zhao Xuanqi, hang their heads from this high tower as a proclamation to all people. Furthermore, Marshal Dino of the Saint Sha Empire interfered in the sovereignty of the Divine Land, and I have slain him. If any from the Six Nations dare to remain in the Divine Land and attempt to enslave its people—be they socialites, dignitaries, or even heads of state—I will kill them."

"Do not say you were not warned!"

Zhao Xuanqi’s voice echoed through the sky like heavenly thunder, deafening all who heard it.

The voice traveled far, heard not only by those in the courtyard but by everyone in half of Jinling City.

Within the headquarters’ courtyard, the tremendous voice left everyone’s minds ringing and their thoughts frozen. By the time they came to their senses, Zhao Xuanqi’s figure had already vanished like mist, his whereabouts unknown. Only his words still echoed in their ears.

’Not only the three of them—Lin Quelan and the others—but even Marshal Dino of the Saint Sha Empire, one of the Four Marshals, died at his hands?!!’

The shock of this news was like a bolt from the blue to everyone present.

’If this news is true, then is there anything in this world that can stop him?’

The situation was the same throughout Jinling City.

Countless citizens of the Divine Land, confined to their homes, clearly heard that thunderous voice. Shock appeared on every face as shuttered windows were thrown open and people leaned out, peering in the direction the sound had come from.

"He... he really succeeded..."

In the city, Matt and other members of various resistance cells were scattered throughout. They too heard Zhao Xuanqi’s words, and they too were struck speechless with shock.

Although they had witnessed Zhao Xuanqi’s power, their fear of the Four Marshals’ might was bone-deep, so they had never been truly confident.

They had believed, however, that with Zhao Xuanqi’s strength, he could at least escape unscathed even if something went wrong.

But now, not only had Zhao Xuanqi’s plan gone off without a hitch—disrupting the Pseudo-Government’s inauguration ceremony and beheading its three top figures—but one of the Four Marshals had also fallen at his hand.

For a moment after hearing the echoing voice, he even wondered if Zhao Xuanqi was deliberately exaggerating his achievements.

’But a man like that would have no need to make a claim that could be so easily debunked,’ he quickly dismissed the thought.

He took a deep breath. To them, Jinling City was a dragon’s pool and a tiger’s den, but to that man, it was like his own backyard, a place he could enter and leave as he pleased. The heads of masters were like flowers in a garden, his for the picking.

He could no longer describe what he was feeling.

"Get the intelligence out as fast as possible. All factions need to move now. We can’t waste this golden opportunity."

Matt said in a low voice to the intelligence officer beside him.

In anticipation of Zhao Xuanqi’s actions, the various resistance organizations had all prepared corresponding plans. Now, with the events in Jinling throwing the various armies into chaos, the timing was perfect.

Across the Divine Land, military uprisings flared. The resistance organizations began their counterattack against the armies of the various nations.

...

...

「Elsewhere.」

The Three Calamities Bird had already staunched the bleeding from its wounds. Beating its wings furiously, it streaked through the sky at extreme speed, leaving Jinling City behind and entering a barren mountain range on the outskirts.

Only after confirming that the man was not in pursuit did he relax slightly, his face still etched with lingering terror.

His injuries were extremely severe. A hole the size of a human head had been blasted through his chest. Most importantly, Zhao Xuanqi’s Primordial Qi had blasted his body, and in doing so, had also gravely damaged the Holy Seed that formed the very essence of his life. This kind of damage could not be healed in a short amount of time, which was one of the reasons Zhao Xuanqi had let him go so easily.

It was no exaggeration to say he was only half-alive.

However, before he could even breathe a sigh of relief, his body suddenly jolted.

From the unseen world, a strange sensation washed over him, as if some invisible thread connecting him to something had just snapped.

He knew where this feeling came from.

’Ba Wu, who stayed behind in Jinling City, must have been killed by that man. Even his Holy Seed must have been completely shattered, leaving no chance of revival.’

This made the fear in his heart grow even stronger.

Soon after, another strange feeling arose within him, different from before. It was a summons from the unseen.

’It’s the Dream Gu’s ability.’

’It seems the others have sensed Ba Wu’s death as well.’

He reached out with his consciousness to the ethereal summons, and a voice suddenly seemed to ring in his mind.

"The connection to Ba Wu... is broken... What... happened?"

The Dream Gu’s voice spoke intermittently.

"Ba Wu is dead. The inauguration ceremony was destroyed. The one who did it was the Qilin Divine General!"

The Three Calamities Bird transmitted the intelligence to the voice.